Looking to stay 3 months in central FL - where is a fun place?

Wife and I are still working. Have 3 more years. In January 2018 we will be flying down to central Florida to start scouting places to pull our 33 ft travel trailer to stay for about 3 months. It would be nice if we could get to a beach in an hour or less and it would be best that the place we stay have activities. Cards, games, exercise classes, pitch ins, movies, trips or tours... things to help us stay active and meet new friends. Could you recommend communities or RV parks that you have been to that are fun? We will be in Florida for a week scouting so we are composing a list of recommended places. Will scout it again in 2019 but we have to start somewhere. Thanks!

There is so much fun stuff to do in central Florida it really doesn't matter if the RV park has lots of activities. We have Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World, LegoLand, lots of water parks, Kennedy Space Center, Gator World, the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico beaches, Atlantic Beaches, the Daytona 500 and spring training all within a short drive. And those are just the tip of the iceberg. I have been staying at The Floridian in Saint Cloud for the last four years and absolutely love it here. Like a kid in a candy store. 

And hardly any place in Florida is more than an hour from one coast or the other. Or both. We live near Ocala and can reach either the Atlantic beaches or the Gulf in an hour.

Are you looking for 3 months during the winter, or some other time? Winter is the busy season, of course, but also when some parks offer a lot more activities. 

I'm thinking The Great Outdoors in Titusville is a lovely park near the beaches and lots of activities. It's a membership park but there are often rentals available, especially outside the winter months.

I just visited The Great Outdoors last month and Gary is right, it is a really cool place and very lovely. Neat as a pin.

I'm going to piggyback on this thread as I have the same question except that my stay will likely be 5 months DURING the Winter of 2017

Somewhere near Central FL is what I think I want, as I don't need a coast nor do I think I can afford one on the coast.
Looking to spend $500 TOTAL or less per month in campground fees.
Starting just after Thanksgiving or the First part of December 2017 until late April or early May.
IF 6 months would be a better price I might be willing to go November 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018 But it would have to be a good deal.  ;D
My only concern is IF I booked a 6 month stay (from internet photos and reviews) and then didn't like it - would I be stuck there or be out
money if I left early?

Also IF POSSIBLE I would like to have a spot where I can keep my trailer connected to my MH which is 65ft. 72ft with the ramp door down.
So a 75ft or longer spot would be ideal.  I might consider parking the trailer (with access to remove my motorcycles) if not to far and still on
the campground property, if it would be too hard to find a pull-through site of 75ft for a 5-6 month stay. 


Since in my case Nov. is only about 8 months away is it too late to book something as I've seen some people claim
they need to book a year or more in advance?  If not too late, what is the shortest amount of lead time to still get a spot?


Also I've toyed with coming to FL this summer to look over sites - Is this something you would recommend or a waste of time and money?

Like the OP requested,  names of campgrounds to consider would be nice.  Thanks.

I would definitely come out early and check them out in person. Photographs and people can lie. I used to find a place to stay and then spend one night. If I liked it I would pay for a week. If I still liked it then I would pay by the month. Paying for a long term spot in advance can stick you with some really rotten neighbors. There is a spot open directly across the street from me that your rig would fit into. I will post a photo later. This is at the Floridian in Saint Cloud Florida. $360 per month plus electricity.

Gary RVer Emeritus said:

And hardly any place in Florida is more than an hour from one coast or the other. Or both. We live near Ocala and can reach either the Atlantic beaches or the Gulf in an hour.

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Providing you make it through SR40 unscathed.   

I did fail to mention the desired stay would be just after Christmas so January through March is the plan.
Seeing the sights and the ocean/gulf would be good but I think I am more interested in a place with activities. Staying busy day to day.
I have been working all my life and would really like to find a place that has like minded people that want to play cards and go places together etc.
I guess I'm looking for the lifestyle that you see in the brochures. The couple smiling, a group swimming, people on golf carts, group exercising and such.
Does this exist in real life? If so where can we go see it?

Does this exist in real life? If so where can we go see it?

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Many snowbird destinations have activities to interest their visitors.  Want to learn how to make jewelry?  Want to quilt?  Want to do whatever??  Some of these places are huge.  The Voyager in Tucson comes to mind.  They have craft rooms and all kinds of activities.  We're not snowbirds so can't name the specific places, but there are many that we've encountered in our travels.

ArdraF

We just spent 5 weeks at the Escapees RV Club owned Sumter Oaks RV Park near Bushnell, FL, about midway between Orlando and the gulf coast. They have scheduled activities daily, as well as a shuffleboard court, etc. The monthly price for club members like us is $340/month plus electric. We already have our reservation in for next winter's return visit. We also enjoy the various FL state parks, including Myakka River State Park near Sarasota where we are now. The downside to the FL state parks (and many other state and national parks) is the two week stay limit. There are activities here from time to time, but not daily. There's lots to see and do in the area though.

Sumter Oaks RV Park...
They has some activities - nice! I will look into it more.

SeilerBird said:

I would definitely come out early and check them out in person. Photographs and people can lie. I used to find a place to stay and then spend one night. If I liked it I would pay for a week. If I still liked it then I would pay by the month. Paying for a long term spot in advance can stick you with some really rotten neighbors. There is a spot open directly across the street from me that your rig would fit into. I will post a photo later. This is at the Floridian in Saint Cloud Florida. $360 per month plus electricity.

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I'm waiting.....

I may be old but I am slow...

Thanks for the image.

I have to assume that my trailer would have to be unhooked and MAYBE parked over the cement pad.
Then the MH parked in the grass/dirt area which would cover the satellite dishes - making me a bad neighbor?

Your motorhome would have to be extremely tall to block those dishes. The actual signal path is about 22 degrees above the LNB angle. If they're aimed at the Dish eastern arc satellites for instance, then the elevation angle is about 55 degrees. I do think the site does look pretty "neighborly" though.

Time seems to fly...
we are packing our suitcases to actually go check out places to stay for 3 months in the next year or two. I have been compiling a list of places that have decent reviews and planned activities.
Here is the list so far. Some that are too far away like over 4 hours from our base hotel in St. Petes Beach will not get a visit. Let me know if you have other suggested locations.

Grand Lake RV and Golf Resort

Silver Lakes RV Resort & Golf Club

Recreation Plantation RV Resort

Hide-A-Way RV Resort

Cross Creek

Old Mill Stream

Paradise Oaks RV Resort

Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort

Coastline RV Resort

Blueberry Hill RV Resort

Wekiva Falls RV Resort

Camelot RV Park

Sun and Fun RV Resort

Breezy Oaks RV Park

Pleasant Lake RVResort

Southern Oaks RV Resort

Tropic Isles

If you have a suggested place that is clean and has planned activities let me know.

Thanks much.

We just got back from a week at wekiva springs state park.  It is very quiet and nice.  One loop has sewer and the other loop does not.  We went last year to coastline rv resort. It is beautiful there with resort like feel, but there is not much to do there.